At YOU Counselling Centres, we provide one-to-one counselling, psychoeducational groups, wellbeing retreats, and focus groups. Our services offer safe, supportive spaces for men and women to reflect, heal, and share their experiences with others who understand.
Our work began with supporting female survivors, and over time we have become advocates in working with male survivors, as well as children, young people, and adults of all ages. We offer specialist, tailored interventions for children, young people, and adults, guided by strong values and a gender-aware approach.
YOU Counselling Centres is made up of four main teams, each working together to ensure the best possible support for those who access our services.
STAR
(Sexual Trauma & Recovery)
PARAGON
(Domestic abuse)
YOU Counselling
(General)
Substance misuse
What is counselling?
Counselling provides a safe, confidential space where you can explore difficult experiences, emotions and life challenges with the support of a trained counsellor.
Working together, you can:
- Better understand the impact of your experiences
- Talk through concerns at a pace that feels comfortable for you
- Develop greater self-awareness and self-acceptance
- Improve your emotional wellbeing
- Build on the strengths and coping strategies you already have
- Explore changes you would like to make in your life
You do not need to know exactly what you want from counselling before you begin. Counselling can help you make sense of your thoughts and feelings and identify what support feels most helpful for you.
Counselling is most effective when you have enough stability in your life to attend regular sessions, reflect on your experiences, and make use of the support offered.
Which counselling service is right for you?
All of our counselling services offer between 8 and 12 sessions. The number of sessions available varies depending on the service, demand and available resources.
Specialist counselling services
Free of charge
Sexual Trauma and Recovery (STAR)
Our STAR service supports people who have experienced sexual trauma at any point in their lives.
Available to:
- Adults, children and young people
- Residents of South East Hampshire, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight
Paragon counselling
Our Paragon service supports people who have experienced domestic abuse at any point in their lives.
Available to:
- Adults living in West Sussex, Dorset and the Isle of Wight
- Adults, children and young people living in Portsmouth (PO1-PO6)
Please note: Our specialist domestic abuse and sexual trauma services are intended for people whose main reason for seeking counselling relates to these experiences.
Support for people with drug and alcohol dependencies
We work in partnership with the Society of St James to provide counselling support for people with drug and/or alcohol dependencies.
Referrals to this service must be made through the Society of St James.
Affordable counselling service
YOU Counselling
YOU Counselling is our low-cost counselling service for people living in South East Hampshire who would like support with a wider range of emotional, personal and life difficulties.
Getting the right support at the right time
We want to ensure that counselling is both safe and beneficial for everyone who uses our services.
As part of the referral process, we consider whether a person is currently in a position to engage effectively in short-term counselling. This includes having enough stability to attend sessions regularly and make use of the support available.
Unfortunately, we are unable to offer counselling through our services if someone:
- Is currently experiencing active suicidal thoughts or has attempted suicide within the past three months
- Has experienced a psychotic episode within the past three months
- Is currently receiving inpatient mental health treatment or has had multiple psychiatric admissions within the last 12 months
- Is vulnerably housed, including people who are rough sleeping or sofa surfing
- Is under investigation for, or has been convicted of, a sexual offence
Where relevant, we also consider whether drug and/or alcohol use is sufficiently managed to enable effective engagement in counselling.
These criteria are not a judgement on the seriousness of your experiences, your worthiness of support, or your ability to benefit from counselling in the future. They help us determine whether the support we offer is the best fit for your current circumstances and needs.
We understand that some people may benefit from longer-term support. If we are unable to offer counselling at this time, we would welcome a future referral if circumstances change.
Need urgent support?
If you are experiencing a mental health crisis or are concerned about your immediate safety, please seek urgent help straight away:
- Contact your GP
- Call NHS 111 and select the mental health option
- Contact your local mental health crisis team
- Call 999 in an emergency
If you are in immediate danger or at risk of harm, always call 999.
Accreditations and registration certificates
YOU Counselling Centres are an organisational member of the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP) and work within their ethical framework (BACP Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions). All of our counsellors are either Accredited or Members of the BACP or equivalent.
All practising BACP members must be registered or working towards registration. Accreditation is a quality standard for experience practitioners, designed to recognise a counsellor’s capacity for independent, ethical, and competent practice.
All counsellors’ certificates can be viewed in our counselling centre in Portsmouth. They are displayed in our waiting room and our counselling rooms. All certificates are also held by each counsellor and can be viewed upon request.
We are also members of the Male Survivors Partnership, a Helplines Partnership Member and accredited with Lime Culture for our work with supporting Male Survivors of Sexual and/or Domestic Abuse.
Our team
We have a staffing structure in YOU Counseling Centres that supports all clinical and management aspects of the service, including:
• Clinical Lead
• Team Managers
• Senior Counsellors
• Counsellor
• Counselling Supervisor
• Peer Coordinator
• Volunteer Coordinator
• Administrators
Review process and feedback
We use what we learn from you to improve. Learn more.
The team and the service that has been provided have been outstanding. Efficient timing for intervention, particularly considering the longer wait times a lot of other services have.
YOU Counselling Centres have three main teams:
STAR Counselling
STAR
(Sexual Trauma & Recovery)
This is our Sexual Trauma and Recovery Counselling team (STAR). STAR works across the South of Hampshire, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight with people who have experienced recent or non-recent rape, sexual assault or sexual abuse. Whether you knew at the time or not that it was abusive.
As an inclusive team, we understand that anyone can experience sexualised trauma. We work with cis and transgender men, women, young people and children. We offer one-to-one counselling at our dedicated counselling centres in Portsmouth and Fareham. We can offer virtual counselling or via phone. We can also travel to you and meet in your community at a safe space. We run specifically designed groups and hold them for mixed genders, single sex, people who identify under the LGBTQ+ umbrella and children and young people. We are members of the Male Survivors Trust.Groups
STAR Counselling offer a variety of groups for different needs. Learn more
This is free to access counselling.
PARAGON Counselling
PARAGON
(Domestic abuse)
PARAGON Counselling is for victims and survivors of domestic abuse. Our counsellors are specifically trained within a trauma informed framework, meaning they know how best to support a person respectfully and facilitate recovery. At present we offer counselling Portsmouth only.
Generic counselling
YOU Counselling
(General)
This is a Portsmouth-only team offering generic counselling for those 18 and over who live, work or volunteer in Portsmouth. People come to talk about issues such as anxiety, poor mental health, developing healthier life skills, substance abuse, relationship difficulties, life events and bereavement.
Our fees are very low and in keeping with your income on a sliding scale.
This service is offered to those living in PO1-PO6 in Portsmouth.
Contact us: 02392 794 357
youcounselling@theyoutrust.org.uk
Make a referral
To make a referral please download our form
How can you help
Where possible, we keep our counselling free or ask for a very low fee. To support the continuation of all our work, we welcome donations or sponsorship. Please contact us if you are able to support our work financially or you can make a donation.
Other resources
Hampshire Rape and Sexual Assault Counselling (Hampshirerasac) is a portal that offers a list of services that are available for children, young adults and adults in Hampshire who have suffered from abuse.
